07/03/2011

Your mind instantly conjures up the beautiful images of crystal clear waters, gorgeous golden beaches, clear blue skies, terraces, chimneys, and whitewashed houses, whenever someone talks about Algarve. Surely, the southernmost region of Portugal, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, is all about glorious year round sunshine and excellent sandy beaches.

Algarve is a perfect vacation destination, with temperatures ideal for playing golf, tennis, and other sports. The southern stretch of fantastic sandy beaches, broken up by extraordinary rugged cliffs and fantastic grottoes, is the resort area for beach activities and water sports, and the brightly emerald colored northern part, with its fig trees, orange groves and blossoming almond trees, is the playground for various other sports.

There certainly are numerous more reasons, but here are top 10 reasons for visiting Algarve (by James Burrows).

Castro Marim (Reason No. 2) is a charming town and municipality in the southern region of Algarve. Featuring dusty gold of soft sand, the turquoise blue of warm waters, the town has three main beaches - Alagoa, Verde/Cabeço, and Retur. It also offers vast ranges of hills full of wild flowers, and serene countryside along the banks of the Guardania, lush with orchards and vegetable gardens.

Faro (Reason No. 3) is your sunny destination all year round. It is a popular place for sun-seekers. The white-washed town is known for its colonial and Moorish-influenced architectures and museums, such as Cathedral, Nossa Senhora da Assuncão Convent, São Francisco Church, Infante Dom Henrique, and Regional Ethnographic museum.Tavira (Reason No. 4) is one of the most architecturally attractive towns in the Algarve. Located some 30 km east of Faro, the picturesque town is known for its inviting long beaches, typical roofs and chimneys, beautiful views over the Gilão river and its Roman bridge, and magnificent churches, such as Santa Maria do Castelo, Misericórdia, Nossa Senhora das Ondas, and São José.

Parque Natural de Ria Formosa (Reason No. 5) is an area of unspoilt marshlands, freshwater lakes and lagoons filled with wildlife. It is one of the major tourist attractions of Algarve, located between Manta Rota and Vale do Lobo in south of Portugal. It is the place where you can check out flora & fauna, and environment & nature conservation of the Ria Formosa lagoon region.

Carvoeiro (Reason No. 6) is a lovely coastal village that is a great tourist center, located in the area of Lagoa, in the Central Algarve. The lively and friendly fishing village has a nice sheltered beach that is good for snorkelling. The coastal village is famous for its wide range of restaurants and bars. It is a popular venue for free live entertainment shows. ~

Monchique (Reason No. 7) is an attractive mountain-top village in southern Portugal, in the district of Faro. It is a fantastic health-resort, finely situated among the wooded heights of the Serra de Monchique. The lovely village is famous for hot sulfur springs, with baths; it has a delightful natural thermal spa famed since Roman times.

Praia de Odeceixe (Reason No. 8) is a lovely sheltered, crescent-shaped beach in South Portugal. The place is a virtual paradise for surfing. It is a reliable surfing destination where you can enjoy surfing at any time of the year. The beach rarely gets packed, even in the height of the summer.

Algarve Golf (Reason No. 9) facilities are one of the finest in the world. Algarve really is a perfect destination for golf vacation. You can really find a large number of top class golf courses in the city. Some of the notable golf courses include Parque da Floresta, Boavista, Palmares, Álamos, Alto Golf, Gramacho, Morgado, Penina Academy, Silves Golf, and many more.

Algarve Cuisine (Reason No. 10), offering an immense range of delicious regional dishes, is also one of major reasons for visiting the city. You can check out the regional specialties, such as seafood soups oregano snails, pork meat and "cataplana" clams, roasted dried octopus on the grill (Lagos style), and grilled squid and cuttlefish. And, don't forget to taste the fig pastries, marzipan pastries, "D. Rodrigo" and "morgado" from Lagos, puff pastries from Olhão, and almond paste and caramel pastries from Tavira.